A member of the branch of Islam that regards Ali and his descendants as the legitimate successors to Muhammad and rejects the first three caliphs.

Anyone who is a Shi'ite wants the leadership of the caliph to stay within Muhammad's family lines. However, anyone who says there is no God, but Allah, and that Muhammad is the prophet of Allah, is a Muslim.

More appropriately, Shi'a or Shi'i. The second largest sect of Islam, founded by followers of Ali, the fourth Sunni caliph (successor to Prophet Muhammad) who married the Prophet's daughter Fatima. About ten percent of the world's Muslims are Shi'a, and prefer to call themselves Ahl ul-Bayt (the 'People of the House', i.e. family of Muhammad). The largest Shi'a denomination believe in twelve imams, Ali being the first, and the last, al-Mahdi, is in hiding and expected to return to prepare for the second coming of Jesus Christ. The differences between Sunni and Shi'a Muslims have more to do with politics and culture than faith and religion.

Shi'ism is most prevalent on either side of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in the modern nations of Iran and Iraq (more in the southern part of the latter). The Shi'as of Iraq suffered great persecution under the nominal Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein. Currently, a young Shi'a cleric, Moqtada al-Sadr, is leading a powerful resistance against the American and allied occupation forces from the holy city of Najaf.

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Please disregard the defintions of shi'ite above; they are absolutely wrong.

Shi'a Islam, also Shiite Islam or Shi`ism is a way of life, and is the second largest denomination of the religion of Islam. Shi'a Muslims adhere to the teachings of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his Ahlul Bayt (family). Thus, Shi'as reject the rule of the initial three Sunni Caliphs as Sunnis reject the Imamate of the Shi'a Imams. Shi'i refers to a follower of the Ahlul Bayt and of Ali ibn Abi Talib (Imam Ali) in particular.

Shi'a Muslims believe that Muhammad's family (the Imams) were the best source of knowledge about the Qur'an, Islam, and Emulation (the best-qualified teachers of Islam after Muhammad), and the most trusted carriers and protectors of Muhammad's Sunnah (traditions).

In particular, Shi'a Muslims recognize the succession of Ali (Muhammad's cousin, son-in-law, and the male head of the Ahl al-Bayt or "people of the Prophet's house") as opposed to that of the caliphate recognized by Sunni Muslims. Shi`a Muslims believe that Ali was appointed successor by Muhammad's direct order on many occasions, and that he is therefore the rightful leader of the Muslim faith pursuant to the Prophet's wishes.

This difference between following the Ahl al-Bayt (Muhammad's family) and Abu Bakr has shaped Shi`ah and Sunni views on some of the Qur'an, the Hadith, personalities in Islamic history, and other areas by extension. For instance, the collection of Hadith venerated by Shi'a Muslims is centered around narrations by members of the Ahl al-Bayt, while some Hadith by narrators not belonging to the Ahl al-Bayt are not included (those of Abu Huraira, for example).

Main Doctrines

Shi'a believe in the same doctrines as the Sunni's five pillars of Islam but categorize them differently. Shi'a beliefs include the following:

Roots of Religion

* Tawheed(Oneness): The Oneness of God
* Adalah (Justice): The Justice of God
* Nubuwwah (Prophethood): God has appointed perfect and infallible prophets and messengers to teach mankind the religion (that is, a perfect system of how to live in "peace"(("submission to God")).)
* Imamah (Leadership): God has appointed specific leaders to lead and guide mankind — a prophet appoints a custodian of the religion before his demise.
* Qiyamah (The Day of Judgment): God will raise mankind for Judgment

Branches of Religion

* Shahadah (Declaration) – the declaration that there is none worthy of worship except God (Allah) and that Muhammad is His messenger.
* Salat—called "Namaaz" in Persian (Prayer) – performing the five daily prayers
* Sawm (Fast) – fasting during the holy month of Ramadhan
* Hajj (Pilgrimage) – performing the pilgrimage to Mecca
* Zakat (Poor-rate) – paying the poor-tax
* Khums (One-fifth) – paying tax
* Jihad (Struggle) – struggling to please God. The greater, or internal Jihad is the struggle against the evil within one's soul in every aspect of life. The lesser, or external, Jihad is the struggle against the evil of one's environment in every aspect of life.
* Amr-Bil-Ma'roof – emphasizing what is good
* Nahi-Anil-Munkar – forbidding what is evil
* Tawalla – loving the Ahlul Bayt and their followers
* Tabarra – dissociating oneself from the enemies of the Ahlul Bayt

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(n.) A learned way of saying shit. Contraction of the exclamatory 'Shiïte Muslims!', which may be used by somebody who objects to the tenets of Islam or actions performed in their name. Now corrupted simply to 'shiïte', this word serves on occasion as a witty alternative to the chavishshit.